Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Social Network Marketing

Four days in and we're well in excess of 400 views. Good - but ultimately not good enough. While I know that Zombie Babies theoretically could go viral at any time, I want to make it happen sooner rather than later. Frankly, if I have any hopes of monetizing the project, the numbers will have to be in the millions of views. Hundreds is flattering - but I need millions.

I'm somewhat in awe of videos that are innocently posted and go viral overnight.

Through FaceBook, I've pestered everyone that I know into watching the video. I'm sure that by now, they're cringing the 29 episodes yet to come. For that reason I've decided to expand my horizons and go after a much wider audience.

I've signed up with several Social Network Clearing sites - sites that skim the ongoing media stream and post interesting links to their readers. These include Fark.com, Stumbleupon.com, Funnyordie.com, Livelink.com and CollegeHumor.com. The premiere video has been submitted - as will all the subsequent episodes. There are a few key sites, such as BoingBoing.net - where I'm waiting until we have a number of videos posted before I make a submission. If "Brain Eatin' Zombie Babies - Episode #17" is the one that breaks big - everything will break big. A single episode gone viral will lead people back to the other chapters.

I've also started a FaceBook group for Zombie Babies. For those who are interested (and FaceBook Members, you can sign up HERE. It'll be THE place for all the news Zombie Babies related.

MEANWHILE - I've actually started work on the Pitch Bible for Zombie Babies. Why would I do that - considering the first look is up on the information highway? When the time comes to speak with potential sponsors, we need to leave them with material to review. Also, should there be mainstream media interest in the project - again, we need to provide a comprehensive overview of what the Zombie Babies are. Having it all down in a well produced document means that I'll never be at a loss for words.

My experience has been that super talented people don't hustle like this because it's hard, hard, work, takes a lot of time, and it's just not fun to do. Plus they are super creative and there's always another idea in their head that wants some time.

I created an IP, got some super talented artists and writers involved (who own a piece of the IP) got a tiny amount of funding and created a Facebook game as a cornerstone to opening the property up for a wide transmedia franchise. We have huge ideas, comics, animation, virtual world, more games. The art and content creation has all been bootstrapped - I mean we got tiny funding that has paid for the coding.

The process of doing it yourself involves legal work, and an endless amount of producing and coordinating and detail managing...most creative people don't like doing this which is why these are specific jobs in the mainstream studio gigs.

I know what you mean about getting something to go viral, its incredibly hard even with all of the social media outlets available...especially if you don't have gigantic marketing dollars to put behind it. We are experiencing the same thing.

We are considering crowd funding at kickstart.com or one of the others to help with marketing to get people to take a look at our game and we are constantly working on decreasing the learning curve of the game.

Zombie Babies is awesome and I'll go stumble it, post it, and do my little part to increase your reach. If anyone has a chance check out our absurd 60's spy-genre title Cold War: Clambake at www.coldwarclambake.com it would be awesome to hear some feedback.

Hi Cheryl,Thanks for your note. First off, COLD WAR CLAMBAKE is very cool. The work you're doing is fantastic - looks great.

But our projects differ significantly. Yours is a Facebook game - mine is an attempt to establish a meme.

You've built your site and now you're waiting for the audience to come to it.

I've established 2 characters - and I'm chasing my audience - responding to feedback and tailoring the "show" to the audience response. Early indications are that they want more blood and gore - but cartoony blood and gore. We have some new videos that will give them what they want. The first of the new ones will be up in the next day or two.

Secondly, I'm tailoring the videos to the tastes of the popular social networking sites. Example - what does BoingBoing post without fail? Again - that's what I'm about to give them - something they can't resist.

Agreed. Most super creative people don't hustle like this - but I believe in what I'm doing, really like the property - and damn, but I love the hustle.

This is from Mark Mayerson's blog. While the movie hasn't found a distributor, I personally love what Mark wrote about me:

True, they are very different but both are ideas generated by creative people and pushed forward without studio involvement. Luckily there are all these outlets to allow us to get work in front of eyes now.

Unfortunately for my case there's no waiting for an audience to come to it...they don't really - there's too many things vying for their attention. Since we don't have a huge marketing budget we have to fight for every install and hope that it's a user that will be a right fit for the niche. It's going to take some time and a lot of work...using every social media outlet we have available. Good luck with Zombie babies and keep writing this blog - I've learned a lot from regular reading!

Well, actually you don't need a huge marketing budget. Check out my post on "Guerilla Marketing 101" published on this blog, May 31st, 2010.

I made a no-budget feature film. While the movie hasn't found a distributor - I'm often asked who the hell is my publicist. Because I got AMAZING national level publicity - and I did it all myself. The day that Nicolas Cage's "Ghost Rider" came out - the Toronto Star gave me a bigger article.

All the secrets are in the Guerilla Marketing post. And if you google my name, you'll find the Toronto Star article.

Trust me - once I have enough Zombie Babies videos posted, I'll being the marketing effort. Right now, we're just posting videos and I don't care about numbers.